


The World is Going to Know Your Name

by supercalvin



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Olympics, M/M, Merlin Olympics, Photographer!Arthur, Summer Olympics, swimmer!merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-07 23:25:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7733881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supercalvin/pseuds/supercalvin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur Pendragon had never been good with words, which is why he is a photographer. He is happy with a camera in hand as he travels the world on assignments. Morgana, on the other hand, thinks he needs a break, which means a lot coming from a fashion designer who hasn’t stopped designing sportswear since she got the job at Triple Goddess Designs. When she and her coworkers bring Arthur on a trip to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics, he meets a swimmer, Merlin Emrys.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The World is Going to Know Your Name

**Author's Note:**

> I’m sorry in advance for any inaccuracies, I know very little about Olympic swimming and have I ever been to Rio. That being said, I hope you enjoy this!  
> Check out the [Merlin Olympics](http://merlinolympics.livejournal.com/)

Arthur had never been good with words. He had always been better expressing his thoughts with his actions. When he was young, he struggled through English and excelled at maths. Even his Debate class was better than the hours and hours of reading he had for his History class, but Arthur had a feeling that was because he had grown up in a house where arguing was practically a family activity.

Most people saw words as a means to an end; to express themselves. Arthur on the other hand saw words as a wall which blocked his way. When he was thirteen, his respite came in the unexpected form of a required art class. The art teacher, Mrs. Thompson, was a mad old woman with a cane, who swung it around when she lectured. Most students were terrified of her, but at the end of the day she knew what she was doing. One time she had asked Arthur why he enjoyed her class. It was an obvious question because Arthur certainly wasn’t her best student, and he was lucky to get a B on any of her assignments. Arthur had confided the truth to her: he hated the reading he had to do for all his other classes and the words never made sense to him. After that, Mrs. Thompson did two things that changed Arthur. First, she was the one to figure out that his hate for reading wasn’t unfounded because it turned out that he was dyslexic. Second, she encouraged him to take her second class the following year, which is where he first picked up a camera.

Another thirteen years later, reading had become easier with practice, but Arthur still preferred action over word. But most of all, now he preferred a camera lens as his eye on the world. Photography was like taking a snapshot of what he saw, what he felt, and without any words involved. There was an art to it that Arthur had perfected over time, but he also liked the simplicity of photography. Anyone could take a picture and show their visual perspective as well as their personal perspective.

Sitting in the back of a cab, the streets of London moving past, Arthur picked up his camera and snapped a few shots. He was happy to be away from the bustle of Heathrow and back into London’s familiar setting. His camera clicked a few times as he people-watched.

“Visiting London, sir?” the cabbie asked Arthur, his eye looking at Arthur’s camera.

“Oh no, I live here.” Arthur said, snapping a picture of the summer sun hitting a nearby building before speaking again. “I’ve just come back from a business trip.”

“In that case, welcome home. Where were you traveling, sir?”

“Afghanistan.” Arthur answered. Before the driver spoke again, he added, “I’m a photographer.”

“Ah.” The cabbie answered, “That explains the camera.”

The cabbie continued with small talk, and Arthur asked about the weather in London. He wasn’t sure how long he would be before his next assignment, but summer in England would probably be better than the summer anywhere else.

Once he arrived at his building, with his duffle bag and camera bag in hand, Arthur climbed his way up to his flat. It was small, run-down, and practically empty. Arthur was out of the country most of the time and when he was home, he often wasn’t the type of person to stay inside. There were a few of Arthur’s photos on the walls, a 35mm film camera was sitting on his coffee table, a football tucked into the armchair, and a hand-made blanket lying across the sofa (a Christmas gift from when Gwen had been in a knitting phase).

Arthur kicked off his shoes and pulled off his jacket, before padding around the flat. He had been away for a couple months and he needed to check on everything. Nothing was out of place, though there wasn’t much to be moved. The kitchen was bare, and Arthur was surprised there was as much as a protein bar for him to eat. He ordered take-away and ate as he looked through the photos on his laptop.

He had been shadowing Captain Leon Knight’s team in Afghanistan since April and there were thousands of photos to go through. Scanning through some of them, he put away a few that he knew were good and put them in a folder. He would have to go into work the next day to talk to his boss and see what she wanted or if they had another assignment for him. He had just come back and most of the time Annis didn’t care and just handed him assignments one after another. But last time he had gotten the feeling that she wanted him to take a break. If ‘no-rest-for-the-wicked-Annis’ was telling him that he was working too much, then Arthur might take the hint. Not that he would be happy about it. Arthur liked his job and didn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t be working. He liked showing the world different perspectives, travelling to new places, and meeting new people.

Arthur closed his laptop by midnight. He was jetlagged from travelling and by the time he set his head to the pillow, he was asleep.

***

Just as Arthur expected, Annis refused to hand over another assignment. She had liked his work, asked him to go through the rest of his photos, and then glared at him when he said he hadn’t finished the rest of his paperwork. Annis kicked him out and told him to call her in a week (and to finish his damned paperwork!) That hadn’t been unusual, but what Arthur hadn’t expected was to see his sister on his way out of Annis’ office.

“Arthur!”

“Morgana?” Arthur asked as he was pulled into a hug and his cheek was kissed. When his plane landed, he had texted her that he was back home, but they hadn’t made plans to see each other. “You’re not stalking me, are you?”

Morgana held onto his arm, a genuine smile on her lips. Arthur hated to admit it, but he had missed her. When he was in London he usually saw her (and Gwen) once a week, and as much as Arthur would loathe to admit he liked to spend time with his sister, he looked forward to being home for a while.

“Don’t be egotistic, brother dear. I was looking through photographers for my next shoot.” Morgana said holding up a few files with photographer’s names on their sides. Arthur wondered what happened to Cenred who had photographed some of Morgana’s designs. Hopefully she fired him; he was horrible at it, in Arthur’s opinion.

“It’s been _months_ and now that I have you here, we are going out to lunch. I’d never see you if I didn’t track you down.” Morgana grinned when Arthur groaned; all the while he was trying to hold in his smile. She would never let him live it down if he willingly went to lunch with her.

“So you admit that you’re stalking me?” Arthur asked.

She looped her arm into his and pulled him into the lift. “I had a feeling a workaholic like you would be here the day after coming back from an assignment, so I stopped by.”

Arthur pointed at her “Pot calling the kettle black.”

“Hush.”

Morgana worked just as hard as him, if not more. Ever since she graduated uni four years before Arthur, Morgana had been designing, making, and selling her own clothes. She had always been the practical fashionista and now she had her own line of sportswear for Triple Goddess.

Arthur had helped her model some of her first designs when she was still in university and he was in sixth-form, though he preferred being on the other side of the camera. He had threatened her when she framed one of those shots and put it in her office. She claimed it helped her remember where she started from, now that she was an up-and-coming designer for Triple Goddess. Arthur was convinced she wanted to embarrass her little brother in any way she could.

They chatted on their way to lunch, though Morgana did most of the talking. Arthur asked after Gwen, and Morgana had enough to say about her until they were at the restaurant.  Arthur smiled to himself as he listened to his sister talk about her PA and girlfriend. Although the last part was kept a secret due to Triple Goddess’ strict policy on interwork relationships after one too many affairs between models and photographers. It proved Arthur’s point about the drama of the fashion world, although Morgana said it was all exaggerated by the media.

“Anyway, we’ve just finished one of Nimueh’s assignments so Gwen and I were thinking of taking a holiday.” Morgana said, “Which brings us back to overworking and you, my dear.”

“Me?” Arthur said as he nibbled on the bread the waiter had left for them.

“Yes, you.” Morgana said. “You overwork and need a holiday.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, Morgs, honest. I travel for work, so it’s not like I need to ‘get out of the office’ or something like that.”

“It’s not about seeing the same people and same work. Well at least not for you. I’m talking about always working.”

“I’m happy when I work.”

Morgana made a buzzer noise, “Wrong answer.”

“Oh come on, you’re happy at work!”

Morgana pointed to herself, “ _I_ am with my _girlfriend_ most of the day. And yes, I like what I do, but it isn’t the only thing that makes me happy.”

Arthur knew where this was going, so he redirected the conversation. “Well it makes sense for _you_ and your _girlfriend_ to go on holiday. Just not for me.”

“You should come with us.”

Arthur stared at her. Morgana didn’t change her wording.

“You’re joking.”

“No.”

“Why the hell would I go on a holiday with you and Gwen!”

Morgana laughed, “Well, yes that does sound odd, but I didn’t tell you where we’re going.”

“I don’t care, I’m not going-“

“Yes you are, because we already have tickets for you.”

“Morgana!” Arthur’s voice went unnaturally high.

She rummaged in her purse and pulled out some paperwork. “You’re not the only one, so calm down. There’s me, Gwen, Elena, Mithian, and Mordred. We have a couple extra tickets.”

“Why the hell are you going on holiday with your coworkers-” Arthur paused as he figured it out, “Morgana I hate to break it to you but a business trip is _not_ a holiday.”

“This one is.” She said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Besides, we won’t be doing too much work. And I need a photographer.”

“I am _not_ shooting pictures of scantily clad models on a beach somewhere.” Arthur said.

“Oh you won’t be.” Morgana said. “It’ll be far more interesting.” She shook the papers in his face, making him bat at her hand.

“Why do you have extras tickets- and no that is not a yes to going with you- I’m just asking.”

“Because we’ve had these tickets for over a year. You have no idea how long it took me to convince Nimueh that this would be the investment of a lifetime. I didn’t ask you because I didn’t know if you’d be in the country or not.”

Arthur narrowed his eyes at her and then looked down at the tickets. “Where is it?”

Morgana grinned, and Arthur knew he had just lost the battle.

“Rio de Janeiro.”

***

In the end, Arthur had lost his fight to not go on a holiday, but he had managed to convince Morgana to go a week early. Rio would be packed for the Summer Olympics- it already was, even a week early- but this way he could get some real shots in before the chaos broke out. Besides, he told her, this way she could get a mini-holiday with Gwen before they had to work.

While Morgana and Gwen saw the sights and lied on the beach, Arthur planned out his first couple days carefully, mapping out the city. For the Olympics there were four main zones spread across the city, Deodoro, Maracanã, Copacabana, and Barra. When he drove by them he stopped and snapped a few shots of the empty stadium grounds but he moved onwards, focusing instead on the city and its outskirts.

Arthur was interested in the Olympics, of course he loved sports and competition, but when Morgana had mentioned Rio and the Olympics his mind jumped to the issues which had been in and out of the journalist circuit for the past year.  As the Olympics approached the media had touched upon various issues: the president’s bribery scandal and pending impeachment, the rise of police brutality and police protests for higher pay, and the general poverty contrasted with the rising €8.7 billion for the Olympics. So naturally, with Arthur’s line of work, Arthur wanted to tour the city and not just the tourist spots.

Even a week before the Opening Ceremony, the city was absolute chaos. There were tourists, VIPs, and athletes plus their supporting teams all crammed together. Although it was hectic to watch the city streets and mad to watch the hotels fill up, there was an excitement that settled into everyone’s bones. Dialects of every language filled the restaurants, athletes of all sports poured into the Olympic Village, and there were enough journalists roaming around that Arthur was reminded that he wasn’t on an official assignment, but on a half-holiday with Morgana’s coworkers.

A week before the Games began, the spirit of the Olympics was in the air. It was crazed celebration and worldly interaction all balled together in one event. Arthur had always loved watching the Olympics, where, for a moment on the field, on the track, and in the water, the outside world didn’t matter. The only thing that held importance was the game, the sport, and the comradery. It was a noble goal to aspire for the world. Like all things, the Olympics had its problems. It wasn’t possible to ignore the politics of the world, nor should they be, because everything, even sports, didn’t exist in a vacuum. But there was something lighthearted about friendly competition between people from all around the world. People who didn’t speak the same language or have similar customs, but they would run, swim, and compete against one another just to see who would win. World Peace wasn’t the goal, nor would it come through a game of football, but the happy sentiment of the Olympics shone brightly.

On the Tuesday night, less than a week before the official start of the Olympics, Arthur had dinner with Morgana and her coworkers. The five star hotel (which Arthur would never stay on one of his assignments, but had gotten accustomed to after travelling with Uther and Morgana Pendragon) had a bar and restaurant on the fiftieth floor. With a drink in hand they could see the beach and the city lights.

It was almost peaceful to watch the ocean and hear the noise of the city below. Until of course Morgana got to him.

“You haven’t even been to the beach have you? Have you seen the Christ the Redeemer statue? At least tell me you took one picture of an Olympic stadium.”

“A few” Arthur said, not telling her that the answers to her previous questions were both ‘no.’

“ _Arthur_ ” Morgana glared at him.

Gwen, bless her, placed her hand over Arthur’s and thus cut off the sibling argument. “We’re touring some of the stadiums for work tomorrow.  You should come along. It’ll be fun.”

Arthur gave her a smile, “Sure, why not?”

Morgana huffed and crossed her arms, “Why do you get through to him?”

“Because she asks nicely” Arthur said.

“Oh please.” Morgana was cut off when Gwen glared at her. She was fierce when she wanted to be and Arthur was glad that this time it was in his defense.

That was when Elena brought back an inhuman amount of drinks for the table, then they all drank far too many of said drinks. Later, and Arthur had no clue what time it was, the entire group was drunk enough to officially call it a holiday. Gwen was telling an intricate story, her face flushed with alcohol, while Morgana and Mordred laughed unabashedly at her tale. Then Arthur let Elena and Mithian drag him to the dance floor, because he was drunk and looser than he had been in ages. Elena was all limbs and Arthur loved dancing with her because then he didn’t feel self-conscious about his own movements. They stayed on the floor, surrounded by the beat, until they were sweating and somehow drunker just from the adrenaline.

Arthur stumbled back to his hotel room at some ungodly hour, but he didn’t mind too much because he didn’t have a care in the world and he would let himself sleep late in the morning. Reveling in the gloriously soft mattress for a moment, Arthur passed out only a few spare hours before the sun rose.

***

It was afternoon by the time the group made it out of the hotel and to the Olympic stadiums. First stop was in the Barra zone, where Morgana insisted on stopping at the Aquatics Center.

Arthur lagged well behind the rest of them. If Morgana wanted him to take pictures then she was going to have to let him take his time so that he could do it properly. The center was large, enough so that he was difficult to get a proper angle to capture it, inside and out. Once inside, he climbed the stadium seating until he was at the top to take a few snapshots of the practically empty area where two swimming pools were empty except for a couple swimmers. There were a couple teams and coaches talking next to the pool and every once and while someone would come and go from the poolside locker rooms.

As Arthur walked down the steps of the stadium, Arthur’s eyes caught on the pool closest to himself. There was a swimmer in lane two, and at the edge was a stern looking coach watching, his hands holding a stop-watch. He was wearing a Great Britain Olympic jacket, so Arthur assumed the swimmer was one of Britain’s athletes. Arthur knelt down onto the pool’s edge and focused his camera on the swimmer. All Arthur could see of the man was long pale arms and a navy blue swim cap. Arthur didn’t know enough about swimming to tell if the man was any good, but he knew for certain that the man was faster than any average swimmer. Arthur had to readjust his camera just to capture the man without the shot coming out blurry. Once Arthur got the rhythm down, Arthur snapped several pictures of the man, his shutter working quickly to capture the water in motion. The water moved over the swimmer smoothly, as if he was a part of each wave and ripple.

The man stopped and he pulled off his goggles so they hung around his neck as he looked up at his coach. Arthur couldn’t help but snap a few shots as the man’s brows pulled together and his lips pursued in determination as he listened to his coach. Then the man pulled himself out of the water and Arthur almost dropped his ₤900 camera into the pool. Arthur knew Olympians were the top of the top athletes, but he hadn’t prepared himself to see the man out of the water. Arthur lost a few seconds as he stared absentmindedly. The swimmer pulled off his cap to reveal messy black hair which he ran a hand through. Arthur watched the muscles move through his broad shoulders, following down to small hips, and then Arthur tried to look away from the tight trunks.

The swimmer was greeted by another young man in British track gear, who tossed him a small towel. The swimmer wiped his face, pulled on a jacket, and then, to Arthur’s extreme embarrassment, the other man pointed to Arthur. The swimmer turned around, his head cocked to the side with interest, and then he gave a bright grin that made Arthur’s stomach drop.

At that moment, his sister yelled all the way across two pool lengths, “Arthur! Get your slow ass over here or we are leaving without you!” Arthur wondered if he could drown himself in the pool. Probably not, there were too many trained swimmers standing nearby. Instead Arthur stood up and flipped her off from across the stadium. She returned the gesture.

The swimmer laughed, catching Arthur’s attention. It gave Arthur the motivation to walk over to him.

Arthur held out his hand, “I would apologize for taking pictures, but you’ll probably have to get used to that fairly soon.”

The swimmer took his hand, although his hand was still a little wet from the pool. “No worries. I’m just flattered you took an interest when Dara Torres is only a few meters away.” He pointed over Arthur’s shoulder to where a woman in US gear was chatting with an athlete.  Arthur tried to remember who that was, but he drew blank.

“You haven’t a clue who that is do you?” The swimmer said with wide eyes, his eyes glancing toward the man next to him.

“Well… I’m not a sports photographer.” Arthur admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m just here to take a few shots for my sister’s business trip.”

“Is that her?” He pointed across the stadium to where Arthur was sure Morgana was hungover and very unhappy. Even Gwen couldn’t make Morgana happy during a hangover.

“Er, yes that would be her.”

“She seems lovely.” Merlin said, a sarcastic note to his voice, and then he waved at her happily.

“Oh god, don’t.  She’ll tear me to shreds.” Arthur said.

The swimmer laughed, which stopped quickly when his coach came up beside him. He glared at them, “Merlin? Lance?” Both men seemed to cower a bit. The swimmer gave a tentative smile to the coach, but he wasn’t fazed.

The other man gave a quick look to the swimmer, “I’ll check up on your after work out gear.” Then patted the swimmer’s shoulder and walked into the nearby locker rooms.

“Merlin, what are you supposed to be doing?” The coach asked slowly, as if he were a dense child.

“Swimming?” Merlin asked innocently.

Arthur snorted out a laugh and had to hold it in because the coach had a glare that could kill.

“Who are you?”

“Arthur Pendragon. Photographer.” Arthur answered. The glare the coach was giving Arthur made him feel like he needed to confess his sins. “I’m on business with Triple Goddess designs.”

The coach stopped and eyed Arthur, “Triple Goddess? As in sportswear, Triple Goddess?”

“Yes” Arthur answered tentatively.

“Ah. So you are doing sponsorships, then?” The coach said mostly to himself. “Merlin’s interested.”

“ _What?_ ” Merlin looked to his coach with wide eyes.

“What?” Arthur said in utter confusion.

“Triple Goddess is looking to sponsor athletes, correct?”

“Er, I wouldn’t know…” Arthur admitted.

Arthur was saved from explaining by Morgana who was stomping towards him, on the war path. She grabbed Arthur’s arm, “What in the world are you-!” Luckily the coach cut her off.

“Hello. Gaius White.” He held out his hand to Morgana. “It’s wonderful to meet you.”

Morgana stopped in her tracks as she took in the three of them. She took the hand and flung a quick glare at Arthur.

“I’m sorry, if I’m being bold, but you are here for sponsorships yes?” The coach said and then continued as he gestured to the swimmer. “Merlin Emrys is your best investment here, I promise you. It’s his first Olympics and he’s at the top of his game. He’ll be sure to be your next star.”

“ _Gaius_ ” Merlin hissed, his eyes fiery, but there was a bright blush on his cheeks. Arthur wanted to raise his camera to capture it.

Morgana’s eyes ran over Merlin quickly and then came back to rest on the coach.

“You are correct: we are here for investment. But I’m afraid we can’t promise anything until after the Games.” Morgana replied, diplomatically.

“Of course” The coach said, “But we want to be open that we are interested.”

Morgana smiled, “I appreciate the honesty.”

She looked to Merlin and held out her hand, “May I?” and then she stepped closer and circled him like a vulture eyeing scraps. Merlin held his long limbs over himself, though the jacket only covered his upper body. His legs, which ran on for miles, were on full display for Morgana. And Arthur. Especially Arthur.

“Oh, he’s lovely. I wonder what I could with him.” She said as she circled Merlin.

“Erm” Merlin looked over to his coach with wide eyes, but he received no aid.

“Here’s my business card, give us a call if you have any questions.” Morgana handed the card to Merlin, who took it between two hesitant fingers. “But if we’re interested, believe me we will call you.”

“I appreciate your honesty.” The coach said for Merlin. Morgana nodded and it seemed the conversation was finished. Arthur wasn’t sure what just happened, but he hoped it was something good, for Merlin and Morgana’s sake. He would have to remember to look up Merlin when he was back in hotel room, just to see who this ‘next star’ of a swimmer was.

“Merlin, it was nice meeting you.” Arthur held out his hand again, “I appreciate you letting me snap a few shots.”

Merlin gave a smile, “I’ll keep an eye out for your camera.”

Morgana leaned forward, “Why don’t you show Arthur the good spots to take a few photos. He hasn’t even gone to the beach yet. He’s a terrible on holiday. Doesn’t know how to relax.”

Arthur smiled at her but tried to kill her with his eyes. She smiled back, with the same murder in her eyes.

“I think that’s a grand idea. Merlin’s free tomorrow” said Gaius instantly.  Merlin turned to look at him and one of his eyebrows arched so high that it rivalled his coach’s. “You need to relax before you hinder yourself, my boy. No more pushing yourself. _Warm ups only_.” Merlin seemed to roll his eyes at the comment.

Arthur didn’t want to question the coach or Morgana, so he just handed over his business card, with his phone number, and gave a quick goodbye as Morgana hauled him away. As soon as they were out of the stadium Arthur gestured wildly at Morgana. “ _What was that_?” He hissed, though his low tone was useless because Morgana’s coworkers had seen the whole thing from the other side of the stadium.

“What was what?” Morgana said. Arthur raised his brows, waiting for the real answer. She sighed and gave in. “Fine. His coach isn’t wrong. Emrys is one of the next stars of the athletic scene. He’s young, handsome, and has that boy-next-door charm that we designers _love_. If he’s interested in a sponsorship, we are _very_ interested.”

“So you’re pimping me out now, is that it?”

Morgana snorted, “Please like I need your help to snag an investment. If Emrys does well in the Olympics, we’ll call him. Your date is just a bonus. You’re welcome.” She turned and walked off, her coworkers following.

Arthur looked up to the heavens, but Rio’s bright blue sky didn’t help him against his sister, so he just sighed and followed them onto the next sight.

***

Merlin and Arthur met in Arthur’s hotel lobby by midafternoon. As they drove out to sight-see their conversation was stilted and slightly awkward, in contrast to yesterday’s easy smiles. They had lost some of the rhythm of their quick meeting, and Arthur hoped they would be able to pick it up again. Arthur asked after Merlin to start the small talk: where he was from, (a tiny village in Wales), which events he was competing in (as many as he could), and if he knew any other Olympians (a pair of beach volleyball players named Gwaine and Percival). Arthur told Merlin about Eylan, Gwen’s brother, who was participating in the triathlon.

“Are you an athlete?” Merlin asked as they stepped out of the car and started walking up the hill to Jesus the Redeemer.

“When I’m in London, I play football on the weekends. I exercise, but I’m not in any organized sport.” Arthur answered. “I travel for work, so I don’t have much time to even do that.”

Merlin nodded thoughtfully. “I’ve never been out of the UK.”

“Not even France?” Arthur said. It was fairly simple to take the Eurostar to Paris. It barely took a day.

“I’ve been to Ireland, actually.” Merlin said after a pause. “For my Father’s funeral.”

“Oh.” Arthur “I’m so-“

“I didn’t know him.” Merlin replied quickly, “Not really. Anyway, Ireland is lovely.” Merlin said diverting the topic. “I wish I could make it to France. Or Germany. But I’m in Rio now, aren’t I? Don’t know if I will ever be here again, so I have to see everything I can.” Merlin hopped up the stairs, his long legs carrying him quickly, and Arthur jogged to follow.

When they finally made it to the top of the mountain, the view was stunning and right in the middle was the thirty-meter tall statue. It was quite impressive, especially when standing right at its base.

Merlin handed Arthur his phone, “Here, take my picture!” Then he bounded over to where everyone was posing in front of the statue. He turned around and then looked over his shoulder at Arthur so that his Olympic jacket, with _Emrys_ emblazoned on the back, could be seen. He looked almost coy, except for his blinding smile. Arthur snapped the photo and then gestured for Merlin to turn around. Merlin did so and spread his hands wide, mimicking the statue. Arthur had a vague memory of one of his snobby photography professor mocking tourist photos, but the thought was quickly pushed aside at the sight of Merlin’s Cheshire cat grin.

Taking his phone back and looking at the pictures, Merlin said, “Perfect. I’ll send it to my mum. She’s relaxing around the hotel today, before the chaos of the Games begin. We went here on the first day we arrived.” Merlin explained as he tapped away on his phone.

“You’ve already been here?” Arthur asked, “Then why are we here?”

Merlin eyed him as if he was dense. “You haven’t been here.”

Arthur conceded that he hadn’t. It was odd for Arthur to travel on a holiday and go to tourist spots, instead of traveling for work, which usually meant going to the local areas or following a military team.

“Come on, I’ll take your picture” Merlin held out his hand for Arthur’s camera.

Arthur shook his head, “Oh, no. I would rather be on this side of the camera, thanks.”

“Oh please, there’s no way you’re not photogenic.” Arthur thought that might have been a compliment if he thought about it long enough. Then Merlin grabbed the camera while he was distracted, taking the loop from around Arthur’s head and placing it around his own. Merlin flicked his hand towards the statue, “Now get over there so you can have proof that you were here and had a good time.”

Arthur gave a teasing smile, “Am I having a good time?”

“Not with that attitude.” Merlin pushed him forward and Arthur laughingly obeyed. The camera looked out of place in Merlin’s hands, his wide palms wrapping around the lens and his long fingers on the shutter. Arthur’s hands felt oddly bereft without anything to hold. He stuck them in his pockets of his jeans and smiled for the camera. He wondered when the last time someone took his photo like this. It was probably on a family holiday when he was still in school.

Merlin looked down at the photo he had taken, “Huh, somehow your face came out alright. It’s a miracle really.”

“ _Merlin_.” Arthur held out his hand for the camera, and Merlin gave it over willingly, though somehow he still looked like the cat that got the cream.

They walked over to the edge of the cliff, where the city and hills laid on one side and the beach and ocean laid on the other. The sight was breathtaking. The afternoon air was crisp, making the photos clear and sharp. He focused in and out on the city, then the beach, then the hills. He snapped a few photos of tourists, families enjoying their trip, and catching a few athletes amongst the crowd. Arthur was so engrossed for nearly ten minutes, that he didn’t notice that Merlin was watching him. His gaze was very attentive, though he didn’t look upset that Arthur was essentially ignoring him.

“What?” Arthur asked.

Merlin shook his head, “Nothing. Just enjoying the view.”

Arthur raised his brows, wondering if Merlin was flirting with him. Arthur let the camera hang around his neck, giving more of his attention to Merlin. They leaned against the railing, looking out towards the beach.

 “So why haven’t you travelled more?” Arthur asked.

“Can’t afford it” Merlin said, not ashamed to admit it. “It’s just me and mum. She has worked long hours at the hospital ever since I could remember. We travelled around the UK a bit, when I was competing. Locally. Then nationally. And now…”

“Globally?” Arthur filled in.

“Yeah.” Merlin looked across the city with a bit of awe in his eyes, “Fuck, I’m actually here, aren’t I?”

Arthur smiled and nudged Merlin’s shoulder with his own. Merlin smiled and they looked back out to the horizon.

“Did you go to the London Olympics?” Arthur asked, “I mean, did you watch them?”

“My mum and I went to a couple events.” Merlin answered. “I didn’t make the Olympic trials, but I honestly didn’t think I would. Hell, I didn’t think I would make it this time around.”

“Come on,” Arthur nudged him, “You’re not half bad.”

Merlin rolled his eyes, “Thanks but I doubt you know a dolphin kick from a flutter kick.” Arthur had to admit that he was right, but he made a mental note to look up all he could before Merlin’s events the following week.

Merlin rested his head on his arms, eyes still on the city below. “I’m just so happy to be here. I can’t believe I made it. I can’t believe I have an Olympic shirt that has my _name_ on it.”

Merlin’s enthusiasm was a bit contagious, because Arthur suddenly felt so happy for him. Abruptly he realized he was extremely happy that Morgana had made him go on a holiday, that Merlin had made it to the Olympics, and that somehow their paths had crossed.

Arthur turned his head to look at Merlin. He was strikingly beautiful in a shockingly casual way. His dark hair was in a thick tangled mess thanks to the wind, his eyes were a deep blue, and the angles of his face made shadows easily play across them. Morgana had been right, he was lovely, and he would make a good model for whatever line of sportswear she would design.

“So,” Arthur said, “Can I ask why you’re interested in Triple Goddess?”

Merlin shrugged his shoulders, “It pays. It gets me advertisement. I need money for travel, you have no idea how much money Ealdor raised to get my team and my mom here. And believe it or not, I would actually like to pay Gaius and Lance.”

“You don’t pay your coach?” Arthur raised a brow.

“He’s my Uncle.” Merlin gave a small smile. “He’s a retired doctor. He says he doesn’t need the money.” Merlin rolled his eyes. “Then there’s Lance. He’s my best friend and he’s been my unofficial trainer since we were _both_ on Ealdor’s swim team. Now that he’s finished uni he’s a personal trainer, but he refuses to let me pay him. Then there’s the whole, paying-for-university thing.”

“You’re in university?” Arthur was reminded that Merlin was four years younger than him, at the prime athletic age of twenty-two.

“Yeah, but I took a gap year to focus on swimming. But hey, it worked.” Merlin gestured to himself. “One more year and then it’s on to med school.”

“An Olympian and a doctor” Arthur whistled and watched Merlin’s try to hide his smile. “You’re the whole package aren’t you?”

“Fuck off. Let’s stop talking about me, Mr. Hidden-Behind-the-Camera.” Merlin said. “If you’re not a sports photographer, what kind of photos do you take? You’re not a fashion photographer, are you?”

Arthur laughed, “Morgana would love to hear that. No, I’m not. I freelance. Mostly war photography.”

“War pho- Holy shit.” Merlin’s eyes widened, “That’s intense. And here I thought you were the kind of bloke who takes semi-erotic photos of beautiful models lying in the sand.”

Arthur scrunched up his nose, “I’m vaguely insulted by that.”

Merlin laughed, “Speaking of the beach,” He gestured down to where they could see the white sandy beaches touching bright blue water. “We should go down there before dinner. You can practice your semi-erotic beach photography.”

“You know I have been meaning to brush up on my _semi-erotic beach photography_.” Arthur said as he tapped his chin in mock-contemplation, which made Merlin laugh. They took a cab down to the beach. The sun was low, but hadn’t yet set behind the hills. It gave Arthur’s photos a warmer hue as he captured snapshots of people on the beach, the waves crashing on the sand, and the seagulls playing overhead. Merlin pulled off his shoes and teased Arthur until he finally gave up and took off his own as well.

“Who walks on the beach with trainers on? It’s not right.” Merlin said, wiggling his toes in the sand.  They walked along the water for what felt like ages. Merlin walked in and out of the water, rolling up his jeans when they got wet with the waves. Arthur had his camera to his eyes most of the time.

Arthur couldn’t help but capture a few photos of Merlin as he played in the waves or talked or kicked up sand. When he noticed that Arthur was taking pictures of him, he didn’t become self-conscious; instead he leaned closer to the camera. He tried a few poses, his eyes mocking Arthur through the lens. He was a horrible model when he tried to be one.  His face twitched oddly as he raised his brows, pursued his lips, or exaggerated his movements by flailing his limbs. Arthur took a couple shots to amuse him, but in the end he couldn’t stop laughing.

“Stop, stop. Mercy.” Arthur held his sides as he laughed, “Your face. It just gets worse when you try to model.”

Merlin flipped him off. “ _Great_. I’ll never get a sponsorship because I don’t know how to do _smeyes_.”

“They will just have to catch you unaware.” Arthur said as he flipped through the photos on his camera. “See, I took this when you weren’t paying attention and you look fine.” Arthur had taken the photo when Merlin was looking at the sea stretched out in front of them. For barely a second Merlin had closed his eyes, the darkening sky in the background, the warm light from the sunset kissing Merlin’s wind-flushed cheeks, and his lips were turned up in a tiny smile. Arthur had taken the shot and barely a second later Merlin had opened his eyes and continued talking. Since Arthur had had his camera to his eye practically all day, Merlin hadn’t even known Arthur had taken the picture.

Merlin bent over so he could look closely at the camera. “Damn, Arthur that’s beautiful.”

Arthur laughed, “Good to know you like your own face.”

“It is pretty good, isn’t it?” Merlin said with a cocky grin. Arthur rolled his eyes and pretended that Merlin wasn’t flat-out gorgeous. “But honestly, Arthur, this is a nice shot. I like it. Plus it has the beach and a bit of Rio in the background. Can you send some of your photos to me? My mum would love them.”

“Yeah, of course” Arthur wasn’t sure why he felt his stomach flip a little.

They trailed along the beach for a while, then went into a nearby hotel and ate dinner. By the end of it Arthur had the urge to pull Merlin close and press a soft lingering kiss to his mouth. But he was in an odd middle ground. He wasn’t positive that this had been a date, if Merlin was even interested in men at all, or if they were just having a nice time as new friends. Merlin gave him a quick hug and pulled away before Arthur could so much as pat his back.

“I’ll look for your camera around the Games.” Merlin said with a crooked smile, “God knows, I won’t see your face.”

“I’m supposed to be taking pictures, remember?”

Merlin laughed as he stepped away, “See you, Arthur.” He turned on his heel and left.

“See you” Arthur was sad to see Merlin go.

***

During the Parade of Nations, Arthur thought he would never be able to find Merlin amongst the 331 athletes for Team GB. Instead, the cameras found Merlin for him, zooming in on a mess of dark hair and a Welsh flag tied like a cape around his shoulders.  The red dragon waved as he walked forward and Merlin waved at the cheering crowd with a grin that lit up the entire stadium.

***

The first day of the Olympics, Arthur didn’t have tickets to see an event, but Merlin did. His first event was the following day, so he had bought tickets to his friends’ beach volleyball match. He had bought four with the hopes that he would meet some athletes or someone else to share them with, since his mum had tickets to her preferred event, artistic gymnastics.  When he had rung Arthur to tell him this, Arthur thought it was an odd but sweet sentiment.

Arthur arrived at the Copacabana stadium, hoping that in the crowd he would be able to see Merlin. Luckily, Merlin found him. He bounded up to Arthur, his hands still in the pockets of his Olympic jacket as he waved at Arthur, looking hilarious and horribly cute.

“Did you watch the Opening Ceremony?” Merlin asked.

Arthur rolled his eyes, “No, Merlin. I decided to catch up on sleep and go to bed early.”

Merlin grinned through Arthur’s sarcasm. “It was bloody loud as hell.”

Arthur laughed. “I’m sure it was. I saw you. Or rather I saw a Welsh flag walking into the stadium.”

Merlin opened his mouth to say something but they were stopped when they both ran into someone. Or rather, someone ran into them. He was short, with scraggly brown hair. Arthur hadn’t been looking where he was going, but it appeared that this man had purposefully run into them because he said:

“You wouldn’t happen to be Arthur Pendragon, would you?”

Arthur looked to him and then his eyes flickered to Merlin who was looking at Arthur with wide eyes.

“I am, how may I-?” Arthur was cut off when the man enthusiastically did a half-wave, half-bow in front of Arthur. “It’s an honor to meet you. My name’s Cedric Sigan, I’m a photojournalist and a huge fan of your work. Absolutely brilliant.” Cedric said as he reached forward and gripped Arthur’s hand in a surprise handshake.

Merlin raised a brow, which made Arthur want to hide. Arthur liked to be praised, especially if it would impress Merlin, but Cedric’s enthusiasm was verging on creepy.

“I can’t believe you’re here at the Olympics. You’ll put all other photographers to shame, mate.” Cedric said as if they were old friends and hadn’t just run into him. “I have one of your early pieces from Egypt 2011. Snagged it before your Avalon prize and you got all famous. I knew you’d be good. Now I can’t afford your pieces.” Cedric said with a laugh. Arthur knew his photos sold for high prices but he wasn’t anywhere near famous. Perhaps some photographers or magazines knew his name, but hardly famous.

“Avalon prize?” Merlin asked.

“It’s an award for up and coming photographers.” Cedric said, mostly ignoring Merlin with his eyes on Arthur.

Cedric’s knowledge of him made Arthur uneasy, but he couldn’t out right tell Cedric to lay-off. So he smiled and said, “Thank you, it’s nice to hear that my work isn’t going unnoticed.” If Cedric had one of Egypt pieces it would sure to lead to a discussion on photography and the rise of social media, but Arthur really didn’t want to have it now. He quickly added, “So sorry, we don’t want to miss the match. If you don’t mind?”

“Oh no. Of course not, sir.” Cedric said gesturing for Arthur to go ahead, almost like a bow. Arthur let his smile drop as soon as he turned his back on the man.

But once they were out of earshot Merlin said, “Oh, ho, ho. I didn’t know I was I the presence of _royalty_.”

“Shut up.” Arthur groaned in pain.

“No, I don’t think I will. Apparently you’re famous and didn’t tell me. Hardly anyone knows me outside of Ealdor.”

“That will change fairly quickly.” Arthur pointed out. As they made it to their seats Arthur tried to end the conversation on that point, but Merlin wasn’t done. As they sat down in their seats, he continued.

“Stop deflecting. Do you have any more awards? Perhaps a trophy for _Best Photographer_ _Ever_ presented by Cedric the Fanboy.” Merlin said with far too much glee on his face. “Do you have a raging fan club?”

“Raging fan club?”

Arthur turned to see Morgana, who looked all too pleased to see Arthur in pain. Gwen was behind her, and they both took their seats next to Merlin.

Merlin easily turned to them and explained, “We just met a journalist who was practically frothing at the mouth when he saw Arthur.”

“Really? Why in the world would anyone care about Arthur?” Morgana made a face of disgust.

“Fuck off.” Arthur rolled his eyes.

Morgana laughed and things were set to right. Morgana introduced Gwen to Merlin, and they seemed to bond instantly as Gwen confided that she used to play water polo in school and then asked if Merlin ever played, which led to a story about Merlin’s complete inability to play team-sports. Apparently he couldn’t make a goal if his life depended on it.

In the stadium, every seat was filled even though it was the first match. It was the Olympics and although it might not be a nail-biter, only one team would move a step closer to a medal. Since Arthur knew next to nothing about volleyball, he let Merlin explain to him the basics. Which wasn’t much at all.

“They hit the ball back and forth. Can’t let the ball hit the sand. Something about the net. Blah Blah. Blah.” Merlin said.

Arthur raised a brow, “I thought you were friends with the players?”

“I met Gwaine at a pub. It was mere coincidence that we were both Olympic hopefuls.” Merlin shrugged, “I’m here for the attractive men getting sweaty and rolling in the sand, all in the name national spirit and personal glory.” Well, Arthur thought that that answered his question about Merlin’s sexuality.

Thankfully Gwen knew more about beach volleyball and explained more to Arthur, Morgana, and Merlin.

“How did you get into volleyball?” Merlin asked.

“Have you seen Kerri Walsh Jennings?” Gwen asked. “After ogling, I got caught up in the sport.”

Morgana nodded and patted her girlfriend’s hand thoughtfully, “You have good taste. Which I knew, of course.”

When the teams entered, the stadium burst into cheers for Team Italy, Adrian Carambulan and Alex Ranghieri, and then for Team Great Britain, Gwaine Greene and Percival Troyes.

Percival Troye was tall and looked like he could bench press Arthur. He gave a brief wave to the crowd and then started looking over the volleyballs. Arthur watched with amusement as the shorter one with long brown hair, Gwaine Greene, waved at the crowd with much more excitement. He winked and blew a kiss.

“Gwaine’s a massive flirt.” Merlin said with a roll of his eyes, “But he’s a goner when it comes to Percy.”

“They’re together?” Arthur asked, knowing that his surprise had creeped into his voice.

Merlin pressed his finger to his lips, and Arthur was momentarily distracted until Merlin spoke again, “It’s all very hush-hush. They want all of their focus to be on volleyball, and they can’t do that if the media gets wind about them. Though it does have a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? To be partners on the court and partners in life.”

Arthur nodded. It did have a nice ring to it. Arthur wouldn’t have been able to explain why it was nice to hear that Gwaine and Percy were in a relationship, but Merlin had had the words in a second.  Arthur was struck by the realization that Merlin was good with words. Arthur should have realized that sooner with all the talking Merlin did.

As the first set started, Arthur tried to keep up with the scoring system, but at some point he just let himself watch and feel the crowd’s excitement with each hit and fall. The sand seemed to make the players slower, but their legs pushed them through it, lifting them up for blocks and angling them for saves. With his camera fixed to his eye, Arthur zoomed in as far as his lens allowed so that he could focus in on Gwaine and Percival. To Arthur’s amusement, Percival barely had to jump to reach the top of the net for a block, but Gwaine, though shorter, had a mean jump.

Team GB won the first set. Another twenty minutes later they won the second set, which meant that they had won the match and were moving onto the next round. When the second set was won, Gwaine and Percival didn’t jump around in excitement. It was the first match after all. They had a long way to go before they had any kind of medal. In celebration, Percy messed up Gwaine’s hair and wrapped his arms around Gwaine’s shoulders. Arthur snapped a photo just when Percy was pressing his cheek into Gwaine’s hair, a smile playing on his lips. As the pair was shaking hands with the other team, Arthur showed Merlin the photo.

“Oh, that’s perfect.” Merlin said, his eyes going soft and sentimental for a moment. “Send it to me.”

Arthur had a feeling that he was going to be sending Merlin a lot of photos by the end of the Games.

After the match they split up, since Gwen and Morgana had tickets to the Judo tournament for only the two of them. Arthur and Merlin took a cab back to his mother’s hotel where he was planning on eating dinner before going back to the Olympics Village.

“You could come eat with us, if you like?” Merlin offered on the ride over.

Arthur shook his head, “You should spend time with your mum the day before you compete. You must be nervous.” It was half a question, because Merlin didn’t really look nervous, but Arthur didn’t know him well enough to see his nervous ticks.

Merlin nodded, “I am nervous. That’s why Gaius was so eager to pull me out of the pool. I get nervous then I swim too hard right before and I ruin my chances. I need proper distractions before a competition. You should have seen my mum when I was younger. She used to take me on day-trips to the city the day before a meet because there was no way I was swimming unless I jumped in a nearby fountain.”

Arthur laughed at the image of Merlin trying to jump into any body of water, just to swim out his nerves.

When they pulled up to the hotel and Merlin stepped out, a woman caught sight of them and waved. She was wearing a simple green dress and her brown hair was streaked with bits of gray. As Merlin leaned down to kiss her head, it was almost amusing to see how much taller he was than her. He didn’t look much like his mother, and Arthur wondered if Merlin had looked like his father instead.

“How was the gymnastics?” Merlin asked his mum.

“Wonderful, Americans are doing as well as in London.” Mrs. Emrys said. “How was the match?”

“Gwaine and Percy won.”

“Now that’s no surprise.” Mrs. Emrys said. When her eyes landed on Arthur, she held out her hand, “You must be Arthur.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Mrs. Emrys.” Arthur said

“Hunith, please.” She smiled as she said, “Merlin showed me your pictures. They were very beautiful. Gaius told me you work for Triple Goddess?”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Arthur bowed his head a bit at the praise, then added, “And not exactly. My sister is a designer and she asked me to snap a few pictures of the Games. It’s a bit of a holiday for me.”

“Arthur’s a war photographer. He’s won the _Avalon prize_.” Merlin said to his mum, with a sly look to Arthur.

“ _Merlin_ ” Arthur said warningly, but only received an innocent wide-eyed look in return.

“Oh, is that right? Well you must be very good at what you do.” Hunith said.

“Er.” Arthur said, not sure what to say to that. “I just take pictures.”

Merlin raised a brow at him. “And I just swim.”

Arthur laughed. “Alright, fair is fair.” He nodded toward the restaurant. “I’ll let you two get to your dinner. It was lovely meeting you, Hunith.”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t want to join us?” Hunith asked, a mirror of her son’s offer.

Arthur shook his head again, “No, I’ll let you spend time with your son. But thank you for the offer.”

Hunith and Merlin said their goodbyes, and Arthur watched them step into the hotel, with Hunith’s arm tucked into Merlin’s elbow.

***

Sunday rolled past in a blur. He had joined Elena and Mithian at the Equestrian event at the Deodoro Zone. Elena knew everything about the events, so he listened to her explain with half an ear as he took shots of the horses. They were beautiful creatures, and Arthur remembered when he used to go riding with his father when he was barely tall enough to get on a horse.

Then on Monday morning, Arthur drove to the Deodoro Arena to catch the fencing tournament. He had been in the fencing club at school, so unlike the beach volleyball match he could keep up with the quick movements and scoring.

By the end of the event, Arthur had enough time to drive all the way across to the Barra zone and into the Aquatics Stadium. It was crowded in stark contrast to the Center where he had met Merlin. He took a seat in the stands, above a large group of Americans tourists and across the way from a Chinese family who looked to be cheering for one of the athletes.

As Arthur entered, the announcer spoke in Portuguese and then French across the stadium. Arthur knew enough French to hear that the heats and semi-final for the 100m backstroke had been yesterday and that the final were today. Arthur listened as the swimmers were announced, and Arthur waited anxiously until he heard ‘Merlin Emrys’ echo across the stadium. Looking around, Arthur caught sight of a nearby screen that told him the final for the 100m backstroke would begin in ten minutes.

He caught sight of Merlin sitting on a nearby bench, with Gaius and Lance not far away. His head was down and headphones were over his ears as he zoned out the entire stadium. His coach looked nervous, his eyes kept looking to Merlin and then to Lance.

To pass the time, Arthur pulled out his phone to check up on how yesterday’s events went for Merlin, since he hadn’t had time beforehand. When he was scrolling through, he figured out why Gaius was looking to nervously at his pupil. Yesterday, Merlin had just scraped by to get into 100m backstroke final, at eighth place.

Arthur looked up to find Merlin, to see that he was still completely focused on his music. Looking at Gaius, it was now easy to see that the coach’s nervous glances were more for Merlin’s headspace than for the competition. Arthur didn’t know how good Merlin was, if Merlin really was the next star that Gaius had claimed he was. Hundreds of athletes were great enough to be Olympians, but only a handful received medals. Arthur didn’t know where Merlin fit in amongst the crowd. In hindsight, Arthur realized that neither did Merlin nor his coach. It was only here and now that Merlin could prove where he stood amongst the athletes of the world.  It was a lot of pressure, especially when gold medal victors from previous Olympics, were competing in the same pool.

When the announcer spoke, signaling the swimmers to get ready, eight swimmers stepped up to the pool. Merlin pulled off his jacket and headphones. His eyes weren’t on anything but the pool below him. He pulled on his goggles and rolled his shoulders, taking in deep breaths. Arthur felt nervous, wanting Merlin to win so badly, but also realizing that in the lanes next to Merlin were some of the men who set the world records for swimming.

When the 100m backstroke started, it was the fasted minute of his entire life. Arthur’s camera was lying against his chest, completely forgotten as he cheered on Merlin. Two laps of the pool. That was it. Merlin and the rest of the swimmers pushed off the wall and in a flurry of splashing and kicking, it was over in less than a minute. Merlin was in fifth place.

He looked up at the score, his goggles around his neck and his chest heaving. He pulled himself out of the pool and grabbed his things. Arthur watched as he walked into the nearby locker rooms. In the chaos of cheering, especially behind the American fans, whose athletes had just won another medal, it was hard to see and hear what was going on. But it didn’t matter because Arthur didn’t want to stick around for the medal ceremony.

Outside the stadium people were coming and going in a small crowd, but there weren’t enough people to hide a familiar figure. Cedric was circling around the edges of the crowd. Arthur wanted to avoid him, but unfortunately, Cedric spotted him.

Arthur had not failed to notice that Cedric was _outside_ the stadium instead of inside. He obviously hadn’t gotten inside, which wasn’t entirely hard if he was with a news network or a sports magazine. Arthur wondered for the first time why Cedric was at the Olympics. He looked like he was the kind of scummy journalist sniffing for a good story and didn’t have the connections or the intelligence to get a proper one. So he must have been a snoop, looking for a scandal, or maybe make a connection with Arthur. If Cedric was doing badly, Arthur may not have been his first plan, but he certainly might be a viable backup.

“Arthur how nice it is to see you again!”

“Likewise” Arthur replied stiffly, but Cedric didn’t notice it.

“Just come out of the event? How did it go in there?”

Arthur raised a brow, “You are aware that it was broadcast on television, correct?”

Cedric laughed as if Arthur had been joking. “Yeah, but you were sure to get some great photographs, hm?”

Arthur hadn’t actually. All his photos were from that morning’s fencing events.

Cedric continued when Arthur didn’t answer, “You must have snapped a few of your friend? Merlin Emrys? I had to look him up after I saw him with you on Saturday. Saw the ‘Emrys’ on the back of his jacket and all that. Never knew much about swimming but he’s sure to be good, eh?”

Arthur didn’t have much to say about that. Cedric seemed to want something from Arthur, but he wasn’t sure what it was.

“Quite.” Arthur said, “Now if you excuse me?”

Cedric didn’t get the hint and started walking next to Arthur as he tried to get to the street to flag down a cab. “Is that Emrys kid a good friend of yours?”

Arthur only said, “I’ve just met him.”

“Sure, sure, of course” Cedric said, as if that made any sense. “So you don’t know much about him. Just wondering.” There was barely a pause before Cedric asked, “So would you ever be interested in sports photography?”

As soon as Arthur flagged down a cab, Arthur turned on his heel to tower over Cedric, “I’m sorry, are you interviewing me?”

“What? No, I’m just having a chat-”

“Good. Now I have to go. Nice seeing you.” Arthur stepped into the cab, closing the door forcefully.

***

It was almost midnight o’clock when Arthur’s phone started buzzing. He pushed his laptop away and pulled out his phone. He thought it might be Morgana, since she tended to stay up late. He was surprised to see Merlin’s name flashing on his phone.

Arthur picked up the phone, “Merlin?”

“Hey, sorry if you’re busy” Merlin said right away.

“I’m not. I was just going through some of the photos I’ve taken so far.”

“Oh, that’s good.” Merlin said, his voice quiet.

There was an awkward pause as neither of them said anything.

“Merlin? How are-” Arthur didn’t get to finished asking how he was. Probably better that he hadn’t.

“So I was just wondering what you were up to. I’m a bit bored at the moment. My mum dragged me back to her hotel and she’s driving me mad. I’m hiding in the loo. She keeps trying to comfort me. She’s plying me with cake from the hotel restaurant. I don’t usually eat cake when I’m training.”

Arthur’s heart ached to hear Merlin ramble, because he was obviously on the nervous side, though it was endearing to listen to all the same. Arthur closed his laptop and said, “How about you come over here? There’s an all-hours bar. We can have a drink and there won’t be any cake involved, I promise.”

Merlin sighed, “That would be great, yeah. Thank you.”

“No problem” Arthur said, and told Merlin to meet him in the lobby.

Arthur freshened up in his bathroom before he met Merlin at the hotel lobby twenty minutes later. Merlin was in a loose university sweatshirt and jeans, looking more like a uni kid than an Olympian. Arthur had to remember that he was both.

They went into the bar without much said between them.  When they leaned against the bar, Merlin ordered a virgin cocktail, and Arthur must have been looking at him funny because Merlin explained, “No alcohol. I’ve got to keep up with my training plan.”

Arthur nodded and looked to the bartender, “Make that two.”

They sat down at a nearby table and Arthur told Merlin about the events he had gone to, except for the swimming ones. Merlin listened and asked about Morgana’s coworkers and what exactly Arthur had to be doing for this business trip. It was a quiet and simple kind of conversation. Merlin looked a little worse for wear, though he didn’t look tired necessarily. Just a bit strained. He had probably been fighting off his mother’s affections all evening.

Eventually though, it had to be said. Arthur swirled the ice at the bottom of his empty glass.

“I went to your event today.” Arthur said, and Merlin didn’t look particularly happy that Arthur had gone out of his way to see him swim. Arthur didn’t really blame him.

Merlin sighed, “Don’t sound so hesitant, it’s alright. I didn’t think I would make it anyway.” Arthur had a funny feeling that Merlin said that to himself so that he wouldn’t get his hopes up, because right now Merlin looked despondent. From what Arthur had seen, when Merlin was near the pool, he was focused on nothing but swimming.

“Merlin, you’re really good. I saw you. It was brilliant-”

“I don’t really want to talk about it.” Merlin said, his eyes flashing to Arthur and then back down to the table where his glass was making a ring of water on the wood. Arthur thought he saw Merlin swallow back some kind of emotion, but the lighting was too low to be sure. On the other hand, Merlin’s frown was clear as day.

Arthur sighed, “I know the last thing you might want to do is swim. But there’s a pool on the twentieth floor, would you want to just… Relax?” Arthur let the suggestion hang in the air, waiting for Merlin to give him a sign.

Merlin looked up, looking relieved rather than annoyed at the suggestion, “Yeah, actually I would really like that.”

As they took the lift to Arthur’s room to grab his swim shorts, Arthur said, “I didn’t think of it, you don’t have a swimsuit do you? Unless you’re constantly wearing one underneath?”

Merlin smiled, “Like some speedo-clad superhero? I don’t think so.” As they stepped off the lift and walked to Arthur’s room, Merlin said, “That’s alright I’ll just swim in my pants.”

As Arthur grabbed his swim shorts and changed in the bathroom, he tried not to think too hard about that statement. When they made it to the indoor swimming pool, it was completely empty. It was a gorgeous pool, with dark tiles that reflected specks of gold. Plants lined the sides of the room, with deep blue lights shone across the walls and ceiling.

By the time Arthur pulled off his shirt and set it down on a nearby lounge, Merlin was already without his shirt and pulling down his jeans to reveal a pair of navy blue shorts. When Arthur had first met Merlin he had noticed that Merlin’s chest was bare, but now that he was looking so closely, he saw that Merlin’s legs were shaved as well. It must have been a swimmer thing.

Without any preamble Merlin gave Arthur a quick grin before taking a running start, tucking his long limbs into a tight ball, and jumping into the pool. The resulting splash was loud in the empty room, echoing off against the walls.

“Gracefully done, Emrys” Arthur said as he clapped slowly from where he stood.

“Sometimes it’s nice to be reminded that I can swim just for fun too.” Merlin said, doing a flip in the pool, his legs kicking into the air ridiculously. He spit out some water as if he were a fountain.

Arthur waded into the pool on the other side, refusing to listen to Merlin’s pleas for him to do a belly-flop.

“Like hell” Arthur said as he dipped under the water in the shallower end of the pool, pushing back the hair from his eyes.

“Come over here” Merlin said, treading water on the other side of the pool.

Arthur hesitated, looking at the water beneath him. Arthur said slowly, “I never perfected the art of not drowning.”

“You mean swimming.” Merlin raised an eyebrow at him, “You can swim, right?”

“I can swim. Just not very well. There’s no way in hell that I am swimming next to an Olympian.” Arthur said.

Merlin tilted his head to the side “So you don’t want to race?”

For that sly remark, Arthur ducked under water, swam towards Merlin, and grabbed his legs to pull him under. When they resurfaced they were both laughing.

They swam around a bit, just taking their minds off everything to feel the warm water against their skin. Arthur lay on his back and floated, since that was one thing he was confident about doing without looking like an idiot in comparison to the Olympian only a meter away. Merlin kept trying to do a hand stand in the shallow end of the pool, but his legs wouldn’t stay straight and he kept falling over.

“You’d be a rubbish gymnast.” Arthur told him from where he was treading water in the deep end.

In response Merlin made a mock starting gesture, his hands above his head, and then did a summersault in the water with his legs kicking up a hurricane of splashes. Merlin came back up and bowed gracefully.

“Ten out of ten” Arthur said with a snort.

Arthur swam over to the side of the pool and rested his arms against the pool’s edge, while letting his legs kick freely. Eventually Merlin came over, his elbows on the pool side with his chin resting on his arms. Arthur looked to him and Merlin raised a brow, as if asking what he was looking at.

“When I was seventeen I had this girlfriend, Sophia.” Arthur started and Merlin tilted his head to the side, showing that he was listening. “One time we were at a party. There was way too much alcohol, and I may or may not have been drunk off my arse.”

“Maybe” Merlin added with a small smile.

Arthur continued with only a slight pause to splash Merlin. “Anyway, Sophia pushed me into the pool, thought it was hilarious beyond belief, and then she went back inside. I thought I was fine, swam a little bit, and then” Arthur made a vague gesture. “I was much drunker than I thought. Some sober kid pulled me out.”

Merlin mumbled a curse in his surprise.

Arthur continued, “Like I said, you shouldn’t be a gymnast and I really shouldn’t be a swimmer.”

“You’re not that bad when sober.” Merlin smiled and then his nose wrinkled, “But your girlfriend on the other hand, she sounds horrible.”

Arthur laughed, “She was actually the worst girlfriend I have ever had.”

“Then why did you date her?”

“I thought I should like her.” Arthur looked to the side and gave Merlin a shy smile. “Then I found out that I rather preferred blokes.” Merlin’s eyes widened a bit. Arthur leaned a bit closer, as if he were giving away a secret. “Especially dark haired ones. With killer legs. Maybe a bit cheeky.  Possibly good at swimming.”

Merlin’s wide eyes crinkled as he held back a smile, his teeth catching on his lower lip. “Only good?”

“It’s just a preference.” Arthur said, his breath coming out heavily.

Merlin pushed off the wall to inch a little closer to Arthur. He bent his head down to Arthur’s arm and his lips pressed against Arthur’s bare shoulder. He looked up with a question in his eyes. Arthur couldn’t answer whatever question it was, because all he could do was stare at him, his lips red and his eyes earnest. Merlin must have seen something he liked because he pressed a second kiss to Arthur’s shoulder. Then to the juncture of Arthur’s jaw. Then Arthur couldn’t take it anymore and captured Merlin’s lips with his own, and Merlin latched onto him in an instant.

The water made everything thick and heavy, as they moved together. Merlin placed his arms around Arthur’s neck, one hand at Arthur’s jaw and the other on the concrete to hold him steady in the water. His knees locked onto Arthur’s hips, firmly pressing Arthur against the pool’s side. The concrete edge pressed roughly into Arthur’s back, but with Merlin’s lips on his, Arthur really didn’t care.  Arthur couldn’t resist Merlin’s long legs when they were so close and moved his arm from the edge so that his hand could grab onto Merlin’s thigh.  Arthur’s hands couldn’t get enough of Merlin’s smooth legs, feeling the muscle twitch under his palm.

With just one arm holding himself up, his muscle began to ache but he didn’t stop kissing Merlin, instead he tilted his head back and let Merlin suck on his lower lip. Their lips tasted like chlorine, but each kiss after kiss was warm and heady.

It was sudden and jarring when Merlin pulled away. They were so close Arthur could practically feel Merlin’s soft gasp as he whispered, “Stop.” Merlin rested his forehead on Arthur’s. “ _Shit_ , stop.”

Arthur stilled, his heart stuttering in his chest.

“I really, _really_ can’t.” Merlin said slowly. He swallowed. “Not now. I have to focus and stay on top of everything. I _need_ to do well. I _want_ to do well.” Merlin’s lifted his eyes to Arthur’s, filled with apology.

Arthur lifted one hand and ran his thumb over Merlin’s cheekbone. “You’re so tempting” He let out a long breath, “Shit, I’m sorry. I _knew_ you needed to focus.”

“No, you flirted but I kissed you first. I shouldn’t have, not when I knew that I couldn’t.”

Merlin’s lower lip jutted out just slightly as he looked down. His legs let go of Arthur and there was nothing he wanted more than to hold on, but he stopped himself.

“I understand. I just want you to know…” Arthur moved his hand through the water, watching the ripples instead of Merlin. “I’d like to see you again. After the Olympics. If you want.” Arthur looked up in time to see Merlin’s face shift from a pout to a hopeful look. Arthur wondered if Merlin thought Arthur would just kick him to the curb.

“I’d like that.” Merlin added. “Afterwards.”

Arthur leaned his head against the pool side and took a deep breath, focusing on the water instead of where Merlin’s legs were skimming his below the surface.

“I better head back to the Olympic Village.” Merlin said, “I have a lot to do tomorrow.”

Arthur agreed and they both pulled themselves out of the pool, drying off with some of the hotel towels. As Arthur pulled on his shirt, he saw Merlin look down as his jeans and his soaked pants.

“I’ll just…” Merlin gestured to himself.

Arthur smiled at him lecherously.

“Oh shut up and turn around.” Merlin said, a smile slipping onto his lips. Arthur turned so that Merlin could take off his pants and pull on his jeans.  

When they were leaving there was nothing but the ripples in the pool to show that they had been there.  At the door, Arthur caught Merlin’s arm, stopping him before he left.  His fingers wandered down Merlin’s wrist to his hand, feeling Merlin’s fingers wrap around his own. He wanted to reassure Merlin in so many ways, but he didn’t know how to form the words.

“You’ll be brilliant, Merlin.” He said, watching as a few water drops fall from Merlin’s curly hair onto his brow. “You’re here. So you’re already brilliant.”

When Merlin smiled at him, a small thing that barely counted as a quirk of his lips, Arthur couldn’t help but kiss him. His lips pressed chastely to Merlin’s in a quick peck. “Sorry. I wasn’t supposed to do that.”

“A good luck kiss, then.” Merlin said, leaving a long kiss to Arthur’s cheek. “And thank you for tonight. For taking my mind off everything. For having faith in me.”

“I’m not the only one.” Arthur said, squeezing Merlin’s hand, “ _You_ know that you can do it too.”

“Maybe I do know.” Merlin said, his voice unwavering in his confidence.

Arthur walked Merlin down to the lobby and said goodbye, with a promise to see him after all of this was over.

***

 

Merlin and Arthur hadn’t exactly laid out the details of what ‘after the Olympics’ meant and what would be considered distracting Merlin from his goals, but Arthur figured he could watch Merlin’s swimming from the stands. As Arthur settled into his seat, he looked for Merlin. He was sitting by the pool, and like the day before, he was completely oblivious to the other competitors and the ruckus of the stadium. Even if Arthur had been screaming and waving like the other fans, Arthur doubted he could break Merlin’s concentration.

Arthur was getting used to the speed of the events, after watching heat after heat. He was catching on to the timing system and how fast a swimmer needed to be. As his mind was catching up with all of the swimming, the announcements for the semi-finals were being read. Merlin had made the final for the 200m breaststroke. Tomorrow he was competing for a medal. Arthur stood up and cheered with the rest of the fans, watching Merlin hug his coach and trainer. Across the way Arthur caught sight of Hunith. She wasn’t cheering excessively, only smiling and clapping, her eyes only for her son.

After watching the other swimming events, Arthur went out with Morgana and her coworkers that night. She said that drinking and dancing was part of having a holiday. In the back of Arthur’s mind though he was celebrating Merlin’s little win and toasting him good luck for the next day.

Arthur danced with Elena, drunk and happy to flail his arms ridiculously. Next to Elena he looked moderately normal, and he was so just so pleased about it. Across the bar he could see Morgana and Gwen holding each other up, before they slipped out, probably going to their hotel room for the night.

Arthur went up to the bar and ordered another beer. He must have been happy-drunk because when he saw Cedric, he waved.

“Arthur! Nice to see you.” Cedric leaned against the bar next to where Arthur was sitting. He ordered a pint and then turned to Arthur with a half-smile. “Saw that swimmer leaving your hotel last night. Or should I say morning?”

Arthur’s spine stiffened at Cedric’s words.

“Excuse me?”

Cedric continued, “Never known a man to walk his shag out to the lobby, but you’re a gentleman aren’t you, Arthur?”

Arthur couldn’t form any words, in complete disbelief as Cedric said, “Didn’t know you liked cock. Or that you preyed on speedo-clad twinks.”

His disbelief turned into rage at the snap of a finger. Arthur’s fingers curled into his palm, his nostrils flared as he breathed in deeply, trying to restrain himself. “I would prefer if you didn’t call him that. Not that my sexuality- or Merlin’s- is any of your business, but Merlin Emrys and I aren’t together.”

“Then it was just a shag.” Cedric rolled his eyes and looked at his nails as if he was just casually talking with Arthur over a pint. “But Emrys did leave your hotel. You can’t deny it because I have the pictures. So tell me, do you want that to be public knowledge or not?”

Arthur’s mind went to Merlin’s comment about Gwaine and Percival’s relationship being kept a secret. It wasn’t about coming out; it was about focusing on the sport. And wasn’t that just the reason Arthur _hadn’t_ shagged Merlin that night? Arthur cursed over and over in his mind. He hadn’t a clue if Merlin was out, and if he wasn’t, Arthur’s didn’t know if he ever wanted to be. Either way, Arthur wouldn’t out him tonight.

“What do you want from me, Cedric?” Arthur asked carefully.

Cedric smiled at if Arthur had said the magic words. “I could run this story. Or I could get a glowing recommendation from my friend and renowned photographer, Arthur Pendragon.”

Arthur’s nose wrinkled at the thought of calling Cedric anything but the scum of the Earth. “How about you fuck back to the hole you were hiding in.”

Cedric shook his head “Tsk, tsk, tsk. I wouldn’t say that, if I were in your position. See, if you don’t give me something then I need your loving friendship. Because if you don’t…”

Arthur narrowed his eyes at Cedric, “Even if someone believes your story, it won’t sell. Not enough for what you probably want, you greedy bastard.” Arthur snapped, hoping that it was true. If Cedric was conniving enough, he could milk this story for more money than Arthur would like to admit. And Cedric appeared to be more devious than Arthur had previously thought.

Cedric shrugged nonchalantly, “I’ll dig up something from Emrys’ past. You care enough to save him, don’t you?

Cedric smiled when Arthur didn’t answer, because the answer was ‘Hell yes.’

“And a small town boy?” Cedric kissed his fingers as if to say it was perfection. “Surely there are a few people who have dirt on him. I might even make something up. Read the headline, Pendragon: _Troubled Past Ruins Boy’s Olympic Dream!_ Maybe I can throw in your queer scandal too, whatever works. Or perhaps something I saw here in Rio? Was that a needle I saw in his pack?”

Arthur lashed out and grabbed Cedric by the collar, hissing out, “That would ruin his career.”

Arthur’s mind raced. One newspaper article would be fifteen minutes of gossip, but a steroid scandal would mean ruin. There would be public shame, the Olympics would be a distance memory, and there wouldn’t be any investment, even from Triple Goddess. Arthur held Cedric closely, making sure his voice was a dangerous as possible as he said, “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t I? I am a desperate man, Pendragon. Very desperate.” Cedric said, plucking Arthur’s fingers from his collar and delicately straightening.  “I’ll give you a day to think it over. Until then, you better watch your back. And Emrys’ as well.” Cedric drank the last of his pint, and then left.

Arthur stared down at the bar. “Fuck.”

***

Arthur did what he usually did when he was in between a rock and a hard place. He called for back-up, which in this case meant Morgana and Gwen. Morgana didn’t answer her mobile until the fifth time Arthur called, and when she answered, she wasn’t pleased. She soon realized that Arthur was serious when he explicitly said, ‘I need your help.’ That shifted her mood quickly.  By the time Arthur entered Morgana and Gwen’s hotel room and told them what had happened, her rage had shifted from Arthur to Cedric.

“That rat bastard” Morgana spat.

Gwen sat on the edge of the hotel bed and looked angry beyond belief, “He’s blackmailing you?”

Arthur nodded, sinking into the armchair of Morgana and Gwen’s hotel room. “I have a day to tell him my decision.”

“We can’t leave Merlin to that shark.” Morgana said, pacing back and forth.

“Thank you, Morgana, but I really wasn’t going to let Cedric anywhere near Merlin. Or anyone, for that matter.” Arthur put his face in his hands and tried rubbing the headache away. It didn’t work.

“Did you even sleep with him last night?” Morgana asked.

“ _Morgana_ ” Gwen hissed.

Arthur gave a humorless chuckle. “No. He needs to focus on the Olympics.” Arthur leaned back in the chair, looking at the ceiling. “And the last thing he needs is this. _Fuck_.”

“We’ll figure this out, Arthur. Don’t worry.” Gwen said, giving him a reassuring smile, even though Arthur wasn’t exactly sure what they were supposed to do.

Morgana picked up her phone and with an angry frown she said, “Excuse me, I have a few calls to make.”

Suddenly, Arthur loved having Morgana as back-up.

***

Cedric’s threat wasn’t anything to laugh at, and Arthur knew it. Arthur and Morgana’s co-workers spent the rest of the next day figuring out what to do. Arthur was so caught up that he almost missed the events at the Aquatic Stadium, but Gwen had ushered him out. Arthur figured he needed the distraction.

When Arthur arrived at the Aquatics Stadium, he could feel the excitement as the finals loomed ahead. It was packed and it was loud. Arthur’s camera clicked over and over again as he focused on the crowd and on the swimmers who awaited their next swim.

From the locker rooms came out eight swimmers, only two of whom were representing Great Britain, Gareth Malory and Merlin Emrys. Malory was talked about some, but Arthur knew Merlin wasn’t considered a favorite. When Arthur had been flicking through clips of Merlin’s races, the commentators had barely mentioned Merlin beyond where he was from and where he went to uni. Arthur watched Merlin step up to his lane and Arthur knew that would change soon.

He snapped a few photos of Merlin’s earnest expression, listening and waiting for the next announcement. The announcer spoke overhead and the crowd cheered as the swimmers set themselves on the starting blocks.

“Take your mark.” Arthur held his breath. A single beep and the swimmers dove into the pool. Arthur snapped a few shots of the pool and the excited crowd in the first lap, but by the second he was cheering too hard to do much of anything. There were two swimmers who were noticeably ahead, but other than that everyone else was roughly even. It was impossible to tell where Merlin was. The fourth lap came and the crowd was in an uproar. Merlin wasn’t far behind either. He just had to push a little further…

The race ended and Arthur’s whipped around to look at the score board.

There were two names under third place, a perfect tie. Gareth Malory of Team GB. Merlin Emrys of Team GB.

Arthur whooped. He jumped up and down with the other spectators. Merlin was staring at the board as he leaned against the lane with his mouth open wide as he tried to gain his breath back after the race. He smiled, looking breathless from more than just the race. His cap and googles were torn off and he swam across the lanes, to Gareth in lane four. Merlin pulled the nineteen year old swimmer into a hug and Arthur heard a cheer for the medalists.

Later Arthur would listen to television commentators practically gush over Merlin’s actions of sportsmanship and experts announced that Emrys was a dark horse.

***

When Arthur returned to his hotel in the evening, he was more than ready to put Cedric Sigan in his place. And that place was far away from newly medaled Merlin Emrys.

Arthur walked down to the hotel bar with Morgana and Gwen flanking his sides. Cedric was right where he said he would be, drinking a pint in a booth at the back. He looked like he didn’t have a care in the world, and Arthur wanted to knock the smile off his face. With Merlin clear in Arthur’s mind, he remembered that he was on a mission and Cedric wasn’t going to win this game.

Cedric snorted in ridicule when the three of them slid into the booth across from him. “You brought two women to protect you?”

Morgana reached under the table and grabbed Cedric by the balls, making him squeak out like the rat he was. Morgana smiled, “I’m a lesbian and I would have no compunctions if I were to rip your balls from your body. So please, continue to insult me and my girlfriend.” She released him.

“Hell hath no fury like a lesbian” Gwen chimed with a perky smile. She slid the files over to Cedric. “Here’s the agreement. Please read it over carefully before signing.”

“Excuse me?” Cedric said, looking down at the paperwork as if it were a snake, rubbing his crotch from where Morgana had probably sunk in her claws. Sometimes Arthur just _adored_ his sister.

“Here’s the deal, plain and simple,” Arthur leaned across the table to make sure he had Cedric’s full attention. “You will show me the pictures you have. You will sign that contract stating that they are the only copies you have and that you will not sell any story to the press. You will not bother me or Merlin Emrys ever again. Then I will give you a reference to my boss.”

“That’s it?” Cedric said, his eyes skimming the paperwork.

“With more legal jargon, yes,” Arthur held out his hand. “Photos.”

Cedric looked like he had sucked on a lemon, but didn’t argue. When he pulled out his camera, he showed the photos still on the memory card. Arthur grabbed the camera, flicking through the pictures quickly. There were a few of Merlin arriving, as well as leaving Arthur’s hotel with Arthur waving him off. Arthur saw a few more pictures which didn’t look like sightseeing shots, and although Arthur didn’t know who else Cedric had been spying on, he didn’t care. He took the chip out of the camera, snapped it in half, and then for good measure, dropped it in Cedric’s drink.

Cedric wasn’t pleased, “Hey! There were more photos on there, you wanker!”

“Oops, sorry” Arthur pushed the camera back to Cedric.  “Sign the agreement. Or else I’ll set Morgana loose.”

“Fine.” He signed. “Reference?”

Arthur slid over a sealed envelope, already addressed. “No peaking.”

Cedric snatched the envelope as he gave a nasty smile. “Pleasure doing business with you, Pendragon. Ladies.”

He left with a little swagger in his step. Too bad he didn’t know that Arthur’s reference to Annis was about how Cedric was the last photographer she should ever hire and to put him on a blacklist. Good riddance.

“This calls for a celebration.” Gwen said, and Arthur rather agreed.

“I’ll get the drinks.” Arthur said with a bright smile.

***

The next few days passed in a blur. He went to events across Rio and he kept up to date on Merlin and his events. On Saturday, Merlin had made the final for the 1500m freestyle, a long race of endurance that was nothing like the 200m. Arthur hadn’t a clue if Merlin would be the dark horse he had been before, but he decided he wanted to go to Merlin’s last Olympic event in Rio.

Morgana and Gwen tagged along, since they hadn’t been to a swimming event yet. The stadium was filled to the brink as it had been every time there was a final.  As they looked for seats, Arthur caught sight of Hunith making her way to the base of the Stadium seating closet to the pool.

She spotted him and waved, and he walked over to her. “Nervous?” He asked as a greeting.

She shook her head a small smile on her lips. “No.”

Arthur was surprised to say the least. The butterflies in his own stomach were definitely making him nervous for Merlin. He wondered how Merlin himself was doing in the locker rooms right now.

Hunith replied simply, “He’ll get another medal.”

“How can you be so sure?” Arthur asked.

“If Merlin has anything, its endurance.” She answered. “He’s stubborn and he has a fire inside him that will never burn out. He has this one. I can feel it.”

Arthur nodded, “I wish him luck.”

“He won’t need it.” She waved and went to her seat. Arthur figured that Mother always knew best and went to his seat, anxious to see if she would be right.

When the swimmers entered and Merlin set himself onto the starting block, Arthur felt the entire stadium shift. It was as if time had stopped in the moment between one last deep breath and a dive into the pool.

The 1500m was so different from what Arthur had been watching before. The longer they swam, the more obvious it was that endurance was the name of the game. Lap after lap more swimmers dragged behind as the best swam ahead. Merlin was neck and neck, and then he wasn’t. Only a single swimmer was ahead of him, and the others trailed too far behind him to ever catch up. By the last lap Merlin was in a clear second place. When he pressed his hand to the touchpad and everyone looked to the scoreboard to see that Merlin Emrys had earned a silver medal, it wasn’t a surprise.

Arthur didn’t move his camera from his face as he captured the moment. Merlin covered his mouth, his chest heaving with fast breathes. He held his arms up and yelled into the air, splashing the water with a wide grin.

Arthur pulled his camera away as Morgana and Gwen hugged him and they jumped up and down in Merlin and Great Britain’s victory.

When he turned back to the pool he saw Merlin on the deck, rushing towards the stands. Arthur spotted Hunith leaning over the railing and Merlin bounded up to her, wrapping his long arms around her in a tight embrace. Arthur quickly picked up his camera and caught the moment, Merlin’s face which was surly wet with chlorinated water and salty tears.

For a single second, Merlin looked up and his eyes caught Arthur’s camera. His hair was spiked from the pool water, his face was flush with emotion, and his smile was wide. Arthur’s finger pressed on the shutter, lowering the camera just in time to see Merlin wave at him, then the rest of the crowds which exploded into cheers.

***

Only a few days later Arthur’s phone rang when he was in the cab back to his hotel and he was more than happy to see Merlin’s name across the screen.

“Hello, Olympic Medalist, how are you?”

Merlin answered with a laugh, “I would love if all my calls started like that.”

“That can be arranged, though you might get a big head about it.”

“Never!” Merlin mocked.

“So what can I do for an Olympian like yourself, now that you have everything you want in Rio?”

Merlin hummed, “Not just yet. Are you at your hotel?”

“No, I’m going there now. Why?” Arthur’s heart picked up pace because he knew exactly why.

“Oh just wondering. I’m a bit impatient, and I was thinking that you really should buy me dinner to congratulate me.”

Arthur laughed, “I think I can do that.”

When his cab pulled up to the hotel, Merlin was waiting for him. He wanted so badly to pull Merlin into a hug, but in the back of his mind he was still worried that Cedric was lurking nearby, ready to break his promises.

Arthur walked up to Merlin and without greeting said, “So I was thinking dinner at the hotel?”

Merlin followed him inside, bumping shoulders with Arthur. “Sounds perfect, why didn’t I think of that?”

Arthur snorted a laugh and led them to the hotel’s restaurant. After ordering, Arthur figured now was probably the best time to tell Merlin about the incident.

“I have some…well I wouldn’t call it bad news. But some vaguely negative news.”

Merlin’s smile faltered for a second, but he cocked his head to the side and said, “Oh no, not vaguely negative news!”

Arthur smiled, skimming his finger over his wine glass as he spoke. “Remember that creepy bloke, Cedric?”

“Your number one fan?” Merlin teased.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t really call him that after what happened a couple days ago.”

Merlin’s smile dropped completely. “What did he do?”

“I just want to say that it’s completely fixed and he won’t be bothering you ever again, I swear.”

“ _Me_?” Merlin’s voice rose.

Arthur told Merlin the story, starting with Cedric’s threats and ending with how Morgana and her team had created a legal-tight agreement. He reassured Merlin that Annis would make sure that Cedric wouldn’t even be able to get a job at _The Sun_.

“God, what an asshole.” Merlin hissed. “I can’t believe someone would even…”

“Believe it. Cedric’s the kind of paparazzi that would spy on teenaged celebrities just for money.”

Merlin looked up at Arthur, his brows pulled together. He looked like he had when he was concentrating before a race. He reached across the table and laid his hand across Arthur’s. “Thank you. I mean, I know you’re the type who would have done this for anyone, but you didn’t actually have any obligation to save me from the press. But I’m very grateful you did.”

“You needed to focus.” Arthur answered, turning his hand over to hold Merlin’s.

“I did. Though, now that I have two medals I won’t be able to avoid the press entirely. But a scandal would have been impossible to work with.” Merlin smiled, “But I no longer need to focus. I am free to be as distracted as I like.”

As much as Arthur wanted to distract Merlin right then and there, they had a dinner to finish. They tucked in, the conversation flowing easily from topic to topic. By desert, Arthur had moved across the rounded booth so that he could show Merlin the photos on his camera.

Merlin leaned in close as he pointed at the digital screen. At one point one of Merlin’s hands pointed to the athlete on the camera, while his other hand rested casually on Arthur’s thigh.

Arthur took in a breath, “You know these would look much better on my laptop.”

“Yeah, it’s hard to appreciate them on such a small screen.” Merlin answered his face so close to Arthur’s.

“Come up to my room?” Arthur breathed.

“Yes,” Merlin pressed his hand down on Arthur’s thigh, just enough that Arthur could feel the pressure, before he slid over and exited the booth.

Tension flew between them like two lightning rods as they took the lift up to Arthur’s room. Merlin’s hand brushed his and it felt like a shock up his arm.

When they made it up to the room, Arthur made a half aborted gesture to get the laptop. When it came to flirting games it was always in the back of Arthur’s mind that he had imagined the undertones of a conversation. But Merlin had stepped in front of him with a hand on the laptop, as if to say it was going to stay closed.

Merlin gave Arthur a lecherous smile. “How would you like to fuck an Olympic medalist?”

Arthur’s toes curled in his shoes and he let out a groan as Merlin stepped into his space. Merlin kissed the exposed skin of his neck, teeth and tongue making a flush creep up Arthur’s neck.

Within minutes, clothes were thrown to the floor. 

As Arthur pulled off the last of his clothes, Merlin laid himself across the bed. He looked like an Olympic victor from ancient Greece, his muscled body on display as he lounged in the pillows against the headboard. As if he would demand the spoils of his victory at any moment. Merlin’s hand moved over himself and Arthur wanted to spread him out and photograph him just like that. Instead Arthur had crawled on top of Merlin, pressing opened mouthed kisses up his torso.

They tangled in the bed, and Arthur touched the skin he had wanted to touch since they met. He pressed his lips to Merlin’s thighs, biting down to make Merlin moan. He wanted Merlin to stay right where he was, lounging like a Greek god with his spoils.

Arthur breathed heavily between kisses from Merlin’s red mouth. “Want to ride you.”  Merlin’s answer came in the form of nails dragging against Arthur’s back and a low-pitched moan that escaped Merlin’s throat.

Merlin’s hands ran all over Arthur’s body as they pressed closer and closer. Arthur’s thighs quaked as he straddled those long legs. He rode Merlin slowly until Merlin pressed his feet to the mattress to properly fuck into Arthur. He held onto Merlin’s as his whole body had ached with pleasure.

Afterwards, Arthur fell to the bed in a heap of loose and warm limbs. Merlin practically crawled on top of him as they dosed in and out of wakefulness. For God knows how long, they just stayed unmoving, just touching and pressing against each other. When they woke again, kissing lazily, Merlin said, “You know, technically, you still haven’t fucked an Olympic medalist. But you have been fucked by one, so there is that.”

Arthur gave Merlin a predatory smile before he tackled him to the pillows with a rough grunt. Then he fucked Merlin into the mattress until Merlin couldn’t form anymore sly remarks.

“Holy fuck” Merlin hissed afterwards, as they panted into the pillows. Arthur’s body ached all over when he collapsed next to Merlin, not sure that he could move a single muscle.

They had fallen asleep after that, Arthur on his back and Merlin pressed across his side.

Now, in the morning light, Merlin was pressed face first into the pillows with his arms in front of himself. Arthur smiled to himself when he thought that Merlin looked like he was mid-dive into the pool.

Arthur grabbed his phone from the bedside table and snapped a photo. The shutter sound went off, waking Merlin from his sleep.

“Wha’ are you doin’?” Merlin slurred sleepily as he stretched and wiggled deeper into the blankets.

Arthur snapped another as Merlin turned to look at him, eyes squinting. He was adorable when half-awake.

“You have the worst case of bed head I have ever seen.” Arthur said, snapping another picture just because he could.

Merlin grumped, planting his face back into the pillow.

To appease the sleeping Olympian, Arthur kissed his shoulders and nuzzled into his neck. “How would you like a shower?” He ran a hand over Merlin’s back, dipping down to grab his ass.

“I’d have to move.” Merlin’s voice was muffled by the pillow.

“A bath then. The bathroom has a hot tub.” Arthur continued touching Merlin, waking him slowly. “I’ll even carry you, oh mighty victor.”

Arthur could see the hint of a smile as Merlin turned his head to the side. “I suppose that would be adequate.”

They talked idly as they lay in the steaming water of the large bath. They really didn’t need the extra room though, because Merlin was pressed as close as possible to Arthur’s side, kissing Arthur occasionally as they talked.

“How does it feel?” Arthur asked as his fingers played across Merlin’s skin.

“To have a medal? Honestly, it’s an odd mix of surreal and feeling like this is how it was always going to turn out. Like I knew in my bones I would come out of Rio with a Bronze and a Silver.”

“You were destined for it.”

“Next time, it will be gold.” Merlin said with a reassurance that didn’t mirror his tone when he had said that he didn’t think he would make it.

Arthur smiled and brushed back Merlin’s hair, “You’re never satisfied, are you?”

“I’m satisfied right now.” Merlin’s eyes crinkled and he ran a hand along Arthur’s chest, the water sloshing a bit. “Very, very satisfied.”

“Mm” Arthur hummed as he pressed a kiss to the corner of Merlin’s mouth. “It’s nice to know that I’m a good shag.”

Merlin grinned up at him. “Didn’t really mean just that. But that too.” Merlin ran a hand through Arthur’s hair, his thumb running along Arthur’s jaw. His eyes were soft as he pressed a kiss to Arthur’s shoulder.

“When you’re back in Wales…” Arthur said slowly, delicately tracing his finger over Merlin’s collarbone, and avoiding direct eye contact with Merlin. “I’d like very much to go out with you. I travel for work all the time and I know you’ll be busy with uni and training. But I’d like to figure it out. If you want to.”

Merlin smiled, “I very much want to.”

***

**Four Years Later.**

***

The commentator on the television welcomed the audience to the thirty second Olympiad, this time in Tokyo, Japan. The pictures on screen flashed through the Games at Rio, before focusing on swimming. The announcer described the competition four years before, and how it had changed.

“Merlin Emrys. A swimmer from a tiny town in rural Wales. In Rio, not much had been known about him. No one had even though to mention his name when it came to the favorites. But he came out of those Olympics with two medals. A Bronze, shared with Gareth Malory in the 200m breaststroke and a Silver in the 1500m freestyle.”

The commentator described how Emrys studied medicine in London for the last four years as he trained for the Tokyo Olympics. The pictures which slid across the screen were submitted by the Emrys team, but those who were important knew exactly who had taken the photos. Between Arthur’s assignments and Merlin’s training, the pair had made time for each other. The screen showed the pictures Arthur had taken: Merlin with his face in a medical textbook, swimming in the local gym’s pool, and lounging around their London flat. Arthur didn’t need to make a long speech to the world that he had fallen in love with Merlin over those four years, it was clear in the way he photographed Merlin.

“Merlin Emrys is no longer a dark horse. When he dives into the pool in Tokyo, the world will know his name.”


End file.
